Gear yourself up for Bike To Work Week

Biking to work can be for just about anyone, and Bike To Work Week is a great place to start. Image from TinyTall on Flickr.

Quick, how can you start to get in shape and save yourself $50 in just a week? Bike To Work Week. Bike To Work Month is May, and Bike To Work Week this year is May 17-21. Biking to work may seem like a crazy idea, but if you sit down to do the math, you might be surprised it makes economic and physical sense. You won’t need to visit a money lender to get started – just convince yourself to give it a try.

Why participate in Bike To Work Week?

Bike to Work Week is a national and international event created, in part, by the League of American Bicyclists. Bicycling to work can save you money and time, help the environment, and it can even help you shape up. Biking to work doesn’t have to be a lifetime commitment – even trying it out once or twice can be a good place to start.

Save time with Bike To Work Week

Your daily commute may feel like a long distance to go on a bike, but most commutes in the United States are between 8 and 12 miles. On a bicycle, trips less than 4 miles are usually quicker than in a vehicle. For trips between 5 and 10 miles, a bicycle and a vehicle take about the same amount of time. Even if you ride your bike slowly, you will probably arrive within 20 minutes of your driving commute time. If you are farther away, see whether your bus or subway or mass transit has bike racks – in all likelihood, they do.

Save money with Bike To Work Week

Even if your average commute is on the short end of the scale, participating in Bike To Work Week can save you money. Parking, fuel, vehicle maintenance, and time lost in traffic can all add up to a lot of money. Most estimates say that not driving to work can save an average person up to $200 a month – that’s $50 a week. Plenty of cash to fuel yourself with lattes instead of your vehicle with oil.

Save the environment and your health with Bike to Work Week

Bicycling instead of driving is good for the environment — that is pretty self-explanatory. Fewer miles driven, less time circling for a parking spot and less fuel used. It’s good for fuel prices too; lower demand means lower prices. The best part of biking to work, though, can be the good it does for your health. An average 10-mile commute can burn between 300 and 500 calories if you are “average” weight. If you’re overweight, you could be burning as many as 1,000 calories and all before you get to work in the morning.

Even I can do Bike To Work Week

If you are thinking of the 15 reasons you can’t participate in Bike To Work Week, just keep me in mind. I am not a lithe, skinny, in-shape bicycle enthusiast with a racing cycle. In fact, at more than 300 pounds, I am far from someone you might consider a Bike To Work Week participant. With my giant 3-gear cruiser bike and a basket on the front, I can make the 7-mile ride to work in about 45 minutes. There are no showers at my work, but deodorant and a nearby health club keep me decent for work. I can pack everything I need for the day in my backpack and in the basket, including my work clothes. I do still drive one or two days a week to run those long errands, but I don’t feel guilty. If this overweight, way-too-busy person can make an effort for finances, environment and personal health – why can’t you?